Workshops and Meetings: Printable Page

HOME AND FARM MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS

Looking Forward to Spring: Small Farm Management
Key Peninsula
Sunday, March 14, 1-3 p.m.
Whether the farm lifestyle is old hat or a new adventure, this classroom presentation can help you learn new techniques that will reduce mud around the farm to keep livestock and people safe and healthy. We will provide designs and show examples of easy compost bin systems that will help reduce the total volume of manure, and give you a return on your hay investment in the form of a composted product that can beautify and sustain a healthy pasture. A workbook full of designs, resources, and how-to sheets will also be available to each participant that attends.

This is a service to livestock owners to provide you with the tools to improve farm productivity while reducing impacts to natural resources.

Carcass Composting
South Prairie
Saturday, March 20, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Although many people have “gone back to the land” and are now producing their own livestock for self-consumption, they may not know that the offal and other unusable carcass parts can go full circle through the composting process to contribute to the productivity of their farms. Composting also solves the problem of by-product disposal and prevents those materials from going to the landfill. Learn from Andy Bary, Scientific Assistant in Crops and Soils at the WSU Research and Extension Center in Puyallup, about the carcass composting process and how to set up your own compost pile. Class participants will get hands-on practice building a pile and also see the finished product.

Winter Cover Crop School
WSU Extension and Research Center, Puyallup
Monday, March 22, 9 a.m-4 p.m.
The use of winter cover crops will be discussed in addition to other topics such as when to plant, seeding rates, cover crop choice, nutrient availability, and inter-seeding. A panel of experts will discuss their experiences with growing cover crops, and we will visit demonstration plots for hands-on learning. Participants will be encouraged to take three, one hour-long presentations online prior to the workshop, to ensure that everyone has the same background information and allow for instructors to delve deeper into course material. Register online at www.pierce.wsu.edu or contact Chris Benedict for more information (253) 798-7028.

Chicken Management 101: Small-Scale Egg Production
WSU Extension and Research Center, Puyallup
Saturday, April 10, 9 a.m-2:30 p.m.
Judging by the overwhelming response to the Chicken Management 101 class last May, residents of Pierce County and beyond are very interested in foraying deeper into the realm of eating local; that is, going beyond gardening and into home egg production. This class is designed for home egg producers but is also applicable to small-scale farmers looking to start producing eggs. The Pierce Conservation District and WSU Extension and Research Center in Puyallup have invited a diverse team of experts to speak to the class participants. Topics covered in the three-hour session will include: municipality regulations, coop design, breeds, feed and water, diseases and insects, waste management, and egg management. Register online at www.pierce.wsu.edu or contact Chris Benedict for more information (253) 798-7028.

Improving Productivity on the Farm
Vaughn
Sunday, April 11, 1-4 p.m.
Improving pasture productivity can not only improve animal health, but your bottom line as well. Join the Pierce Conservation District at a working small farm as we review techniques that boost forage quality and quantity including installing safe and effective cross fencing, fertilizer application, new seed varieties and alternative forages, and grazing management strategies.

Golden Given Farm Tour
Tacoma
Saturday, May 8, 9-11 a.m.
Tour the 4.4 acre, 3 horse farm that Norm and Myrna Wear have dramatically improved since purchasing it five years ago. They constructed a paddock area next to the barn where they have installed sand footing over drain rock and geotextile fabric to prevent winter mud. They re-planted the pastures and have set up a three-pasture rotational grazing system. They established a lane to both move the horses on their long narrow property and to provide an additional exercise area.They also compost the manure collected from the paddocks and spread it on the pastures. And they planted native plants around the ponded area in their pasture to provide wildlife habitat. Come see how far they have come in five years, and get some ideas to take back home to your own farm.

Finding the Perfect Farm Property
Gig Harbor
Saturday, May 22, 1-3 p.m.
The opportunity to raise a few animals, grow your own food and play in the dirt has developed an increased following. Spring is a prime time to scope out new property to help you meet these goals. Enter into the market with a better idea of what to look for in raw land or farm property to help maximize your potential for success. In this workshop, we will take a look at soil capabilities, buffer restrictions, planning out building locations, and matching animal density with farm productivity. We will also review online tools to help you research properties and provide you with a contact list for follow up questions.

Unless otherwise noted, please contact René or Erin at (253) 845-9770 or (253) 884-9474 or renes@piercecountycd.org or erine@piercecountycd.org to register for the workshops. A map will be sent to you upon registration.

Stream Monitoring Workshop
Stream Team will hold a stream monitoring workshop on Saturday, May 15, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. for anyone interested in becoming a stream monitor or learning more about water quality sampling. The three-hour training provides an overview of the field tests used by Stream Team, and includes a hands-on component for trainees to practice stream sampling techniques. Also covered are stream flow measurements and habitat assessments.

Upon completing the training, volunteers will be set up on a stream site of their choice and can begin sampling at their convenience. Stream data is periodically uploaded to the University of Washington’s Naturemapping website at http://www.cbr.washington.edu/naturemapping/, and made available upon request.

To register for the stream monitoring workshop, please contact Isabel Ragland (253) 845-2973 or isabelr@piercecountycd.org. The workshop will be held at Swan Creek Park (east Tacoma). Directions to the workshop location and other information will be sent upon registration.

Rain Garden Workshops
The management and treatment of stormwater run-off, particularly in urban and suburban areas, has long been an issue of concern regarding the health of Puget Sound. Everything from major public works projects to changing individual behaviors is being tried to minimize the amount of polluted water that runs into our streams, lakes, and marine waters when it rains.

Gaining in popularity is the use of rain gardens, which are shallow depressions strategically placed in a landscape to capture rainwater from downspouts, driveways, and sidewalks, and allow it to slowly infiltrate into the ground. Rain gardens can reduce localized flooding; help recharge groundwater aquifers; provide beneficial wildlife habitat; and filter oil, grease, and toxic materials before they can pollute local waterways.

Modeled after last year’s successful series, Stream Team is once again joining Stewardship Partners and WSU Cooperative Extension to hold eight rain garden workshops around Pierce County this spring. Targeted towards homeowners and anyone else interested in learning more about rain gardens, the evening workshops cover what you’ll need to know to construct a rain garden of your own, including a soil perk test, plant suggestions, and general costs.

Workshops are free, but registration is required. To register for one of the rain garden workshops listed below, please contact Stream Team at (253) 845-2973 or streamteam@piercecountycd.org. All workshops are from 6-8 p.m., and directions to the classroom venue and confirmation of other details will be sent upon registration.

2010 Rain Garden Workshop Schedule
March 11 – Graham
March 16 – Parkland
April 8 – Fircrest
April 13 – Sumner
April 20 – Gig Harbor/Key Peninsula
April 29 – Puyallup
May 6 – Steilacoom
May 12 – Milton

Rainwater Collection for the Home
Puyallup
Thursday, April 22, 6-7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 2, 1-2:30 p.m.
On October 12, 2009, the Washington State Dept. of Ecology issued an Interpretive Policy Statement that clarifies the long-standing water right ambiguity associated with rainwater harvesting. A water right is not required for on-site storage and use of rooftop collected rainwater. Rainwater harvesting is valued as a water conservation tool to reduce demands on more traditional water supply sources. With so much rain falling in western Washington, it seems counterintuitive to imagine a need for an additional water supply. However, the need becomes more obvious when you realize that when the rain isn’t falling (summer) we use the most water (irrigation). The easiest and smallest scale rainwater harvesting technique is to divert downspouts into rain barrels to augment irrigation needs.

Thanks to funding from the Puyallup/Chambers-Clover Small Grants Program, all the materials for a rain barrel will be provided, and the class on how to put them together and their uses will be instructed by Dan Borba from Natural Rain Water. Each class is limited to 30 participants. At the end of the class, you will get to take home your very own rain barrel to get you started in home rain water collection.Please contact René at (253) 845-9770 ext. 106 or renes@piercecountycd.org to register.